Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 515

The fierce war ended in a somewhat anticlimactic manner.The ghouls that had been running wild suddenly stopped moving, and for some reason, the priests also suddenly gave up resisting and started committing suicide.

Because of this, the troops fighting against them could not help but be confused.

“What in the world…?”

Rider, his sword lowering, muttered in disbelief. Llewellyn, who was furiously firing arrows, and Salem, who was busy shielding the others, could only stare wide-eyed at the sight.

From their experience so far, the fact that the priests all gave up fighting meant one thing.

The enemy’s commander, the Saintess, was incapacitated.

Their doubts were only resolved after Laius returned with Lumiel and Arthur, carrying Arendt.

“The Saintess is dead.”

“…”

The Allied forces could not bring themselves to say anything.

It was partly because Laius’ tone of voice, as he announced the victory, was overly calm, but it was even more so because no movement was felt from Arendt, who had returned with the captain.

Glenn took a step closer to him and asked stammeringly.

“But, Captain. Could it be that guy…?”

“He’s okay.”

Laius answered forcefully.

“He just fainted. I stopped the worst of the bleeding, so if we treat him as quickly as possible, he shouldn’t be in danger of dying.”

“Haaah…”

Only then did sighs of relief erupt here and there. Llewellyn, who had been looking back and forth between Laius, Arendt, and High Priest Lumiel, staggered and sank to the ground.

Salem, startled, caught him.

“Your Highness!”

“You scared us half to death, honestly…”

But Llewellyn couldn’t bring himself to refuse Salem’s hand and just muttered blankly.

The others felt the same way. They had turned pale the moment they saw the man in such a miserable state.

As soon as Laius had made that affirmation, it occurred to them that Arendt was breathing evenly, evenly, if very shallowly.

The Knight Captain gave the order calmly, but with a blank expression that seemed to suppress many emotions.

“Treatment is the priority. Prepare a place immediately. Arrange for a healer and a magician.”

“Yes!”

The knights began to move busily again. Throughout this entire time, Lumiel desperately held onto Arendt’s limp hand.

Thick tears fell ceaselessly from her tightly shut eyes. Arthur watched them with disquiet, then placed a gentle hand on her trembling shoulder.

The ravages of war were devastating. The once-splendid imperial palace was reduced to ruins by the battle between Lexion and Nikephoros, and the Great Temple that boasted the majesty of God Luce was reduced to ashes. The capital, emptied after its evacuation, was also left in disarray.

There were countless casualties, wounded, and missing people. The streets were filled with the stench of rotting corpses left abandoned.

Still, the fact that they won did not change.

The chain of ill-fated bonds that had not been broken since the Great War 200 years ago had been completely resolved, and the Chernion Cult, which had long terrified the world, had been completely eradicated.

That fact gave people new hope for life.

And so the slow and sluggish recovery work began.

The Crown Prince returned to the palace as soon as he heard the report that the battle was over.

It was a few days after Saintess died.

The still-ruined palace greeted him, but Cantares paid it no mind.

“It would have been okay if you had come back after things had been a little more settled.”

“How can that be? I can’t just leave everything up to you guys.”

At Laius’ words, Cantares shook his head.

“Even you, Captain Laius, are seriously injured. Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“That’s not an option. I have a lot to do.”

Cantares glanced at him. Though he hadn’t seen it firsthand, he could keenly sense how difficult this fight had been for even the Hero of the Holy Sword.

Although he boasted the fastest recovery of anyone, he still had deep wounds that could not be completely healed even with the help of magic.

The bandages visible under the collar and sleeves of the neatly dressed uniform were proof of this.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Go in quickly and rest.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Laius answered stiffly and continued with his report.

“The mopping up of the remnants is progressing smoothly. Even if they’re remnants, they’re a group of ordinary people who call themselves members of the Chernion Cult… If they surrender, I’ve ordered them to be captured alive instead of executed immediately.”

“Well done. What about the priests?”

“While the battle was taking place in front of the Great Temple, there were also major battles in the areas controlled by the Lucain, Everan, and Nephele Kingdoms.”

Laius continued, handing the report he had brought to Cantares.

“The situation was similar there. Immediately after Warren and Stellar destroyed the ghoul core, the ghouls immediately lost their power. And just before the Great Temple fell, the priests of the Chernion Cult suddenly began committing suicide.”

“It must have been because of the Saintess’ death.”

Cantares handed over a page of the report he had received.

“The Saintess. Did Arendt kill her?”

“…We don’t know at this stage, but I suspect that the Saintess may have committed suicide.”

Laius said, looking down.

“The body was so burned that only the remains could be recovered. It now seems likely that the Saintess committed suicide due to pessimism about the battle situation.”

“That’s right. Arendt insisted that the Saintess be captured.”

Cantares answered with a displeased expression.

“He said she’s a being who transcends death and continues living. That’s exactly what Arendt was worried about. Someday, she’ll return to this land, hoping for another chance.”

“The exact cause of death for the Saintess will likely be known only after Arendt awakens. Even High Priest Lumiel claims to know nothing.”

“Come to think of it…”

As if a memory suddenly occurred to him, Cantares changed the subject.

“The priests who were captured. I heard that their holy powers were compromised. How are they now?”

“It remains unchanged.”

Strangely, Luce’s holy power no longer affected those who had participated in the battle at the scene. Even the priests of the Great Temple who had been observing the battle there lost their holy power.

The ghouls that had been transplanted into their bodies were safely removed thanks to Count Stadler, but it was a disaster for the priests who had been with holy power their entire lives.

Cantares frowned slightly.

“I see. The reason is…”

“I think it’s similar to the reason why Arendt can no longer receive holy power.”

It’s said that holy power is bestowed by Luce, who was moved by the faith of the priests. More precisely, it’s a power that can be obtained through pure faith.

However, unintentionally witnessing the battle at the heart of the conflict had stirred a change deep within their hearts.

“The priests say they don’t know the reason.”

“They probably don’t want to face reality. I completely understand that feeling. They are doing their best by not blaming you all.”

Cantares muttered, displeased.

“But I hope it doesn’t take too long.”

There was a limit to how far they could escape reality. So, no matter how cruel it was, they had to face it and find a solution.

“How is the High Priest?”

“The High Priest is fine. She has taken responsibility for treating the wounded within the palace. But the problem is…”

“Almost no one else can receive holy power?”

“Exactly.”

Laius nodded.

At first, it was just Arendt. Then the Third Knights, and then some members of the Second Knights… and even the elves.

As a result, all but the First Knights who returned from outside were unable to accept holy power.

This was because they had denied the proposition of God Luce’s justice from the depths of their hearts.

“So, she’s been tending to both servants and the general public. Most of her remaining time, she stays by Arendt’s side.”

As if afraid that his shallow breathing would stop, she had been watching over him at his sickbed for several days, nursing him with utmost care.

Despite the pleas of the others to get some rest, she stubbornly stayed by Arendt’s bedside, occasionally taking short naps.

Cantares, who had been staring at him blankly, brought up the question that had been stuck in his throat.

“Is Arendt still the same?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

A subdued voice came from the hero.

“He’s seriously injured and has inhaled a lot of smoke, so his condition is very poor. Even the healer can’t guarantee when he’ll be able to open his eyes.”

Maybe he wouldn’t be able to open his eyes.

But Laius didn’t bother to say those words out loud. Cantares asked again.

“What about Lord Lexion? I heard he woke up two days ago.”

“He’s been monitoring Arendt’s condition. He’s been periodically casting spells to help him recover… but if treated improperly, the aftereffects could be severe.”

A dark shadow fell over Laius’ face as he spoke.

“For now, we can only monitor his recovery. Surviving that period will be up to Arendt alone.”

Cantares, who had figured it out without much difficulty, smiled bitterly.

“It’ll be okay. He’s such a poisonous guy.”

“Yes, I believe so.”

Laius nodded vigorously.

“Your Highness. By the way, may I ask you a favour?”

“A favour?”

Cantares furrowed his eyebrows at the unexpected remark. “Favour” was a word Laius rarely uttered.

“It’s a request from the hero of the war, so there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“This may be a somewhat rude request… but would that be acceptable?”

Laius asked cautiously again. Cantares smiled mischievously.

“As long as you’re not asking me to step down from the throne, I see no reason why I can’t oblige. I doubt you’d request anything unreasonable, Captain Laius.”

“Thank you.”

Even after that, Laius couldn’t shake off his hesitation. Uncharacteristically, he seemed lost in thought. But Cantares didn’t rush him, and just waited quietly.

And after a long time, Laius finally spoke.

Cantares, who had been listening carefully to each and every word, soon widened his eyes.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes, that’s right. Perhaps it doesn’t seem appropriate for the current situation.”

Laius nodded seriously. Cantares stared at Laius for a long moment, his face blank. And then, after a while.

He quickly covered his mouth.

“Pft.”

But he couldn’t stop the laughter that was bursting out uncontrollably.

“Ugh. Ugh… Phew… Ah, I’m sorry.”

Cantares’s shoulders trembled, and he tried to suppress his laughter. But even the pleasantly curved corners of his eyes couldn’t return to their original position.

“Ah, I never thought I’d hear such words from Captain Laius.”

Regardless of the Crown Prince’ laughter, Laius remained serious.

“Is it inconvenient for you?”

“No.”

Cantares said playfully, smiling slyly.

The heavy air that had filled the office just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

“I welcome it very much.”